The Tail of Tohru Honda
by xxfirebubblesxx
Summary: AU. Tohru discovers a whole new world under the ocean! And to think this all started when she almost drowned...Yukiru.
1. TOHRU! Girl Overboard

Disclamer- I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction about it. XP

Chapter 1: TOHRU!--Girl Overboard

"What a beautiful summer day!" 20-year-old Tohru Honda smiled at her two best friends in the entire world. "Yeah!" Arisa Uotoni enthusiastically agreed. "A perfect day to go sailing and eat one of Tohru's delicious picnic lunches."

"Yes," Saki Hanajima said softly. "Our dear sweet Tohru will become a wonderful bride someday. I think I?�m going to cry..."

"Eh?" asked Tohru, somewhat cluelessly. "It was really nice of your grandfather to lend us his boat." Uo commented. "Whoever knew he had one?"

"Yes!" Tohru agreed. After Kyoko had died, Tohru had ended up living with Uo-chan and Hana-chan. The three of them had rented an apartment after high school. They had decided to have a girls day out to celebrate the goodness that was summer vacation after Tohru's grandfather had offered to lend them his small fishing boat for a picnic outing.

"Let's eat!" Tohru exclaimed as she opened the bento boxes. There were many delicious types of food Tohru had prepared. As the three of them were eating, Tohru saw a flash of silvery-purple in the water. _What was that?_ Tohru wondered, getting up and peering over the side of the boat. "Tohru? What is it?" Uo asked curiously. "Ah, it's nothing!" Tohru exclaimed. _It must have been my imagination._

She turned around to smile at the two girls. "Well come back and eat. The food will get cold." Hana-chan said. Suddenly, a wave rocked the boat. It was small, but strong enough to make Tohru lose her footing. "Ah!" she exclaimed as she fell overboard. "TOHRU!" Uo-chan and Hana-chan screamed. They rushed to the edge, but by the time they ran to the edge, there were only a few ripples on the surface.

A/N-MUHAHA! What will happen to poor Tohru? Review to find out! No flames please. Be nice to my first fic!

Sorry for such a short chapter...

Thanks for reading! You guys keep the story alive!

xxfirebubblesxx


	2. Meeting Yuki

**Chapter 2: Meeting Yuki**

It was cold.

So very cold.

Tohru opened her eyes. Everything was blurry, but she saw the same flash of silvery-purple next to her. _I can't breathe!_ she thought frantically as she tried to swim back to the surface. Her legs felt numb, as if they fell asleep. Whipping her head around, she saw a blur speed past her. _Huh? I need air!_ Her movements were getting more frantic...

_A pale face..._

"Faster!" she mentally commanded herself. A ticklish sensation coursed through her legs as they started feeling as if they were glued together. "Just a cramp..." she thought.

_Soft silver hair..._

Trying so hard to reach the surface...

_Sorrowful purple eyes..._

_All of a sudden, she was very aware of a face next to hers._ "AHHHHH!" a silent scream forcing out the pitiful amount of air she had left in her lungs. She swooned and the world went black.

_Mother? Can you hear me?_

She was drowning, falling deeper and deeper into the dark unknown...

_I am coming to you now..._

Suddenly a slender arm grabbed her waist and pulled her to the surface. Her long brown hair floated around her face and her aqua-colored eyes were closed.

_Mother?_

Her rescuer broke the surface, dragging Tohru along with him.

_I am moving so fast..._

He was swimming so fast, even with her on his back.

_Am I close to heaven?_

She felt herself being set down on dry land. Hands were forcing the water out of her lungs. Cough cough hack Tohru wheezed as she was suddenly jolted into consciousness. Her legs were starting to loosen up now. "Are you alright?" Her head automatically turned to the source of the voice. Her rescuer was partially submerged in the water; the only part of him showing was his lean torso. She found it a bit strange that one moment he was saving her, and the next, back in the water. Examining her rescuer's face more closely, Tohru gasped. That was the face she saw in the water before she fainted! He was good-looking in a delicate way, with his silvery-gray hair gleaming. He looked like he was around the same age as her. "Y-yes. I'm ok." She managed to find her voice. "I fell over board because I saw this thing in the water, and I leaned over to see what it was, but there wasn't anything there! So then Hana-chan told me to come back and eat before the food got cold..." Her eyes widen as she suddenly stops babbling. The boy couldn't help notice what a pretty shade of teal they were. "Hana-chan and Uo-chan! I forgot about them completely!" she panicked. A low chuckle reached her ears. "Yes, well people tend to forget things when they almost drown." The boy said kindly. "Oh! I forgot to say thank you!" She struggled to stand up, and then bowed politely to the boy. He looked surprised, but gave her a shy smile. However, it disappeared as his head jerked up abruptly. Hurriedly he explained, "I must go. Your friends are coming."

"Please stay! My friends would love to meet my rescuer." Tohru pleaded. "I'm sorry. Please excuse me." As he turned to go, she shouted, "Wait! What is your name?" He hesitated, then replied, "Yuki. Yuki Sohma." He dove deep underwater and seemed to disappear as soon as Uo-chan and Hana-chan rowed close. "TOHRU! You're alive! Are you hurt?" Uo screamed hysterically. "I'm alright!" The two women landed the boat and broke into tears in front of a surprised Tohru. The three of them began to hug each other and cry harder. Yuki watched from a distance then swam away, his silvery-purple tail gleaming in the setting sun's last rays.

**_Dun-Dun-Dun!_ **Cliffie! For the people who don't get it, in this AU fic, Yuki-kun's a merman! To read more, REVIEW PLZ! You guys motivate me. XD

Ja ne!

xxfirebubblesxx


	3. Akito's Rage and Yuki's Plan

Disclamer- I do not own Fruits Basket. :P If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction about it. However, the plot is mine! MUHAHA! 

**Chapter 3: Akito's Rage & Yuki's Plan**

"What in the world were you doing?" Uo nearly screamed at Tohru. "I just saw a pretty silvery-purple thing and wanted a closer look." She replied innocently. "Well, that 'thing' nearly cost your life! How did you end up on the bank anyway?"

"Yuki saved me!" Hana-chan's head jerked up. ''You mean, there was somebody else? I thought I sensed another person's denpa waves." she muttered. "Yet they were very strange, almost inhuman." _Inhuman? _Tohru thought. _Well, he was very mysterious. I wonder where he is now?_

In a deep part of the ocean 

Yuki sighed. He couldn't stop thinking about the human girl. He stared at the blue ribbon he had accidentally pulled out of her long hair when he was rescuing her. "This is crazy. I don't even know her name!" Yuki muttered. Wait, the blond did scream a name. Tory? Tana? No. Tohru! Yes, that was it! _Tohru..._ Suddenly a sharp rap at his door jolted him out of his thoughts.

"Come in." he said, trying to keep his voice steady and emotionless. A merman swam in, his olive green tail flicking to propel himself. "Ah, Yuki-kun! You're here!" Sighing, Yuki said shortly, "What do you want Shigure? I'm busy.??Shigure's careless grin disappeared. "The king wants to see you." A chill ran up Yuki's spine. _So, he found out then. Of course...it was inevitable. He has spies everywhere. Anyone could have seen me go to the surface. _

Slowly, he swam to the grand throne room alone. As two mer-guards opened the door for him, a cool voice greeted him. "Hello, Yuki. I am so glad you are here. I have summoned you for a very important reason. My spies told me you were lurking near the surface." Calmly, he replied "Yes, I was." Yuki knew if he lied, the king would give him worse punishment. Thr king clenched his teeth together. Suddenly, he flew into a furious rage, yelling and smashing things, and in general, throwing a temper tantrum fit for a three-year-old. He stopped in front of Yuki, his black tail swishing furiously. "DID YOU KNOW WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE? YOU COULD HAVE EXPOSED US ALL!" His hand quickly smacked Yuki's face so hard that the force of the impact threw him sideways on to the wall of sharp coral spikes. He managed to stifle a cry of pain when some of the spikes impaled themselves into his back. The king whispered darkly, "Do you want to spend time in the dungeons, Yuki? Maybe a few days in there will cure you of your bad habits." Horrible visions of the utter darkness overwhelmed Yuki and he slammed his eyes shut.

All of a sudden, the doors flew open and in swam the family doctor, his greenish-gold tail propelling him quickly to where the furious king and injured merman were. "Akito! Stop! You'll hurt yourself." Akito's eyes were frantic, as they darted to Yuki and back to Hatori. "So that's it. You want to get rid of me. You want to be free! WELL, YOU CAN'T AND YOU NEVER WILL BE!" he screamed, enjoying the flinch he elicited from the silver-hair merman. "Akito, calm down." Hatori commanded. "You have to rest. I'll take Yuki back to his room, then come and check on you, all right?" Akito sneered. "Fine." He spat out the word venomously. Hatori then helped the injured Yuki up, then swam back to his room to help clean his wounds. While they Hatori was bandaging the savage scratches, he muttered, "You shouldn't do that again."

"Do what? Go to the surface or anger Akito?"

"Both."

"..."

"Yuki," Hatori sighed, "We are two of the 13 princes and princesses of this sea. In other words, Akito's favorites. (A/N- Guess who the 13 are? ) You must set a good example for the others."

"Yes." _I still have to return the ribbon, but I can't tell Hatori that or else he'll know a human has seen me, whether she knows I'm a merman or not. I'll sneak back tomorrow really early, and leave it at the place we met._

In the girls apartment

After the little outing, Tohru had gone over the experience in her mind many times.

_Her legs felt numb, as if they fell asleep... _

_A ticklish sensation coursed through her legs as they started feeling as if they were glued together. "Just a cramp?" she had thought._

"But that wasn't a cramp. It was different." She muttered to herself. Suddenly, Tohru sat up in bed. It was now 5:52 in the morning. She knew Uo-chan and Hana-chan wouldn't be up until around 7:30. Tohru Honda had made up her mind. She was going back to the ocean where she had first met Yuki.

A/N: YAY for cliffies! Plz R&R! If you're 1st reviewer for a chapter, I'll dedicate the next chapter to you, ok?

Ja ne!

xxfirebubblesxx


	4. Meeting Yuki again

Disclaimer-Don't own:

-Fruits Basket

-The Little Mermaid

-Aquamarine

These are all the wonderful places I got my inspiration from!

**Chapter 4: Meeting Yuki...again**

The ocean lapped playfully near her feet as Tohru walked to the area where she had met Yuki. The beach was practically deserted, save for the occasional seagull that swooped to greet the giant body of water. She sighed as the brisk morning air nipped at her legs. She was wearing a bright yellow dress that reached right above her knees and white sandals that squished as she walked on the sand.

_What was I thinking? Nobody is up this early. Yet why do I feel drawn to this place?_ She was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard splashes and a voice mutter "Ow." Quietly, Tohru took off her shoes, tiptoed behind a boulder, and peered around. What she saw nearly made her gasp in surprise. _It's a mermaid! A real live mermaid! Well, technically, it's a merman. _She watched as he struggled to get out of the ocean, while scratching his tail painfully against sharp rocks, eliciting another small "ow" from him. Peering at his tail, she noticed his scales were two different colors; at the bottom it was violet, but it faded to silver at the top, creating beautiful rainbows as the sun hit them. His silver hair was a little bit shaggy and long at the back. _Wait, silver hair? Oh. My. God. It's_...

"YUKI!" she screamed, leaping out from behind the boulder. His head jerked toward her. Violet eyes filled with fear stared back at teal eyes filled with curiosity. Time seemed to stand still, as two beings from completely different worlds stared at each other. Yuki quickly looked away and trembled in fear as he tried desperately to crawl back to the ocean, but his tail, so very useful in the water, was just dead weight on land. "Wait! Yuki, please don't go!"

Tohru ran over and clutched his arm. His expressive purple eyes practically radiated fear. "P-please l-let g-go." His voice quivered. She immediately let go of his arm as if it were burning coals. He was so different from the first time she had met him that she wondered if they were the same person. Yuki was so calm and collected in the water, but here on land, he looked out of place and lost. "Hurry! Push me back into the ocean, or else I'll..." She stared at him, uncomprehending for a few moments, then understood. Tohru positioned herself behind him and put her hands on his back. The merman gasped, and she saw why. His back was lined with dozens of red scratches that stood out clearly against his pale skin. "N-not there." He gasped out, wincing in pain. "Hurry!" Quickly, she grabbed his arms and dragged him to the water, practically dumping him in. "Just in the nick of time." he groaned.

"Why? What could've happened?"

"You don't want to find out. Luckily this was my first time completely out of the water or else I would've transformed sooner."

_Transformed?_

"Anyway, I wanted to return this to you."

Yuki pulled out a soggy blue thing. Upon closer examination, she found out it was the ribbon she had lost!

"Ah! Thank you so much!"

Her heart went out to him. He had come so far, even ventured out onto dry land, just to give it to her.

She leaned down to grab it, but suddenly, her bare foot slipped against a slimy rock, and she went flying into the ocean. "EEK!"

"Tohru! Careful!"

Yuki grabbed her as she landed in the water so she wouldn't drown. "Are you alright?" he asked, examining her closely. "Y-yes. I'm alri-"

_The strange feeling..._

"Tohru? What's wrong?"

_Like a thousand needles pricking at her legs and feet_...

"AHHH! It's happening again!" Tohru gasped.

_Legs are starting to bind together_...

"Tohru, what's happening again?"

_Tickly sensations running all over_...

"Stop movin-"

Tohru looked down in the water to see what Yuki was gaping at.

"I-it c-can't b-be!"

But it was.

* * *

A/N- Cliffhanger! Gotta luv them. 

What happened? Want to know?

**THEN R&R!**

ok. sorry.

Ja ne!

xxfirebubblesxx


	5. My Parents Mermaids!

Disclamer- I do not own:

Fruits Basket XP

The Little Mermaid TT.TT

Aquamarine XO

**Chapter 5: My Parents-Mermaids?!**

A tail.

_Just like Yuki's. Maybe I'm dreaming._

Underneath the hem of her soggy dress, her legs melted away and, instead, she had shiny scales. The bottom half of her body narrowed into a long, gleaming, blue-and-green tail, waving gracefully in the shallow water. Tohru had never done anything gracefully in her life, so it was kind of a shock! Staring at her tail, she dazedly noticed that it was like Yuki's tail; each scale had two colors. Her scales were light green at the bottom and turquoise-blue at the tip of each scale.

It was Yuki who broke the stunned silence.

"Which one?" he asked curiously.

"Huh?"

"Which one of your parents was a mermaid?"

"EH?"

_My parents-mermaids?!_

"You didn't know that you transform?"

"N-no. I've never been completely surrounded by water before I met you. I never tried swimming. I never even took a bath! Only showers..."

"You're obviously half-mermaid, since you transform when completely submerged in the water. Upon seeing Tohru's puzzled look, he hastened to explain. "It's not very common. I just read about it in the library."

"...So...I'm half-mermaid"

"Most likely." Yuki giggled. They both started laughing at the absurdity of it all. After they calmed down, Yuki looked up and noticed the sun was crawling higher in the sky.

_Uh-oh._ The spies-not to mention Akito-would be up soon looking for him. He glanced down at Tohru, her head just a few inches under his. She looked like she was thinking hard, by the determined little V her brow formed.

_She looks really cute like that...Wait, where did that thought come from?!_ Yuki gave his head a small shake as if he was discarding that thought completely. A few droplets of water flew from his hair onto Tohru's cheek. "Hmm?" Tohru looked up into Yuki's reddened face. _Why is Yuki blushing? It's so different from his pale skin! Kawaii! Wha- that thought was so random!_ She immediately turned a pleasing shade of pink.

"Katsuya Honda!" Tohru yelled quickly, to break the embarrassed silence.

"Huh?" Yuki said confusedly.

"That's my father's name. I never met him, so it would make sense if he were a merman, right? My mom never mentioned him much, though..."

Yuki frowned and appeared to be thinking hard. "Yuki? What are you thinking?" "Do you want to go to the library?"

"Eh?"

"We could look at the birth records and investigate whether or not Katsuya Honda was a merman or not." Tohru gaped at him. I _could find out everything! My past literally lies at the bottom of the sea! "_I can"t." she said regretfully. "I have to go soon. I did write a note to Hana-chan and Uo-chan saying where I am, but they'll be worried. But could we arrange a different time? I'd like to find out about my past, and..." Tohru said the last part so softly that Yuki had to lean over to hear her. "I would like to see you again." Her face turned 30 different shades of red as she glanced at Yuki's equally scarlet face and shy smile.

"O-okay. See you tomorrow?" Tohru began to fidget, creating small ripples on the water. "Well, Hana-chan and Uo-chan will be gone for the weekend because Uo-chan is going to visit her father in the hospital, and Hana-chan's book, Reading Denpa Waves, is going to be published, so I will be all alone for a few days."

"Great! So I'll see you on Friday?" Yuki asked. "Yes! In the afternoon." Tohru giggled. "Then I will see you in four days." Yuki said, giving her the equivalent of a sweeping bow and a kiss on the back of her right hand. It was a mere brush of his lips, but it was enough to turn her face a flaming red once again. "Good-bye...hime." He gave her a heart-stopping smile once again before sinking deep underwater and swimming away, his tail moving powerfully against the water. Tohru picked up the ribbon and with some difficulty, lifted herself out of the water. As soon as she crawled out, her tail started changing back into legs. Tohru watched, fascinated, as her tail softened and the shiny scales melted away one by one. When the transformation was complete, her legs felt numb, as if she had been siting on them. Shaking her legs a bit, Tohru stood up and slipped her sandals back on and walked towards the bus station, soaking wet.

* * *

A/N: Wahh! I'm so sorry this chapter is short! And the characters are OOC! TT.TT Chapter 6 is coming soon, so watch for it! 

Japanese Vocab:

hime: princess

xxfirebubblesxx


	6. Shopping and Friday

Disclaimer- See Chapter 5

**Chapter 6: Shopping and Friday **

In the girls apartment

Tohru had managed to get home without waking up Hana-chan and Uo-chan. Miraculously, her roommates hadn't woken up yet. Tohru glanced at the clock. It read 6:47. After running into her room, she slipped off her wet dress in exchange for a pink skirt and a blouse. She rummaged through her closet while wondering what mermaids wore. Her swimming suit would have to do. She prepared a dress and a jacket to wear over her suit, then eyed it in dismay. Her swimming suit was old and bagged in some places. Tohru decided she would go swimsuit shopping later.

After preparing breakfast for her friends, Tohru casually mentioned she would go shopping later. They immediately wanted to tag along. "It has been a long time since you bought anything for yourself. Of course we want to come along!"exclaimed Uo-chan.

"Yes. We must make sure Tohru is buying something that suits her," said Hana-chan.

"A-alright, if its not any bother." Tohru said. So the three of them went to buy a swimsuit for Tohru.

"Ah! Supper looks delicious!" grinned Uo.

"Tohru outdid herself this time." Hana-chan agreed. Tohru smiled. She had learned a while ago not to protest that the compliments weren't true. The afternoon had been wonderful. They had bought a new swimsuit for Tohru; a periwinkle blue two-piece! Uo-chan said she needed something daring in her closet. She smiled as she thought about Yuki. He was so mysterious and well, beautiful. She couldn't believe that she was thinking about him that way, but he was! Tohru wondered if all merpeople were as attractive as Yuki. She couldn't wait until Friday.

* * *

In a deep part of the ocean

Yuki was incredibly lucky. Nobody had noticed he had been missing the entire morning. He couldn't wait to show Tohru around the kingdom.

* * *

On land

Friday morning dawned bright and early. Tohru had a busy day, packing bento boxes for her two friends, sending Uo-chan off, tidying up the house, saying good-bye to Hana-chan, and eating her own lunch. After eating, she changed into her swimming suit, then wore her green dress with the yellow flowers and a denim jacket over it. Quickly slipping into her flip-flops with the plastic daisies and reaching for her bag simultaneously, she headed out the door.

After being crammed on the bus for a while, Tohru was grateful for the freedom of stretching her legs on the beach. She wiped away the thin film of sweat that was starting to form on her forehead, then trying to be inconspicuous, she causally strolled along the ocean, to the area fenced off by large rocks. After clambering over the smallest one, she ducked down, sheltered by the boulders jutting out from the sand. Scanning the waves, she found a familiar head of silver hair peeping out of the water.

"Psst! Yuki!" She waved frantically and saw his face pop up come closer. He gave her a small smile and she grinned happily back at him.

"Hi! Could you wait for a second?" Tohru asked. After Yuki nodded, she turned her back on him and quickly took off her flip-flops, jacket and dress, then tied her long brown hair into a ponytail. After folding her clothes neatly and leaving them at the rocks, Tohru turned around and eyed the cold water with a shiver, then grabbed her denim jacket. Pulling it on, she slid into the water and almost immediately, her legs turned into a slender tail. Yuki turned towards her. "Are you ready?"

Tohru grinned excitedly at him. "Yes! I can't wait!"

Giving her a princely smile of his own, he took her hand and pulled her underwater.

* * *

A/N: Whoot! Exams are over! Hello SUMMER! XDDDD

Sorry this chapter is so short. I got a cold. TT.TT Honestly, who gets colds during summer?! Apparently, I can. I'll update soon since I have lots of time to write, so...

Ja ne!

Mimi-chan

xxfirebubblesxx


	7. Operation Perfect Princess

Disclaimer-See Chapter 5

**Chapter 7: Operation Perfect Princess**

"Wow...!" Tohru gasped in girlish delight.

Schools of fish darted out from gaps in rocks and sea urchins stuck to the sides in thick black clumps. The water grew colder as they swam deeper into the dark unknowns. Tohru was admiring a field of colorful coral when she noticed Yuki was gone! She whipped her head from side to side frantically as she searched for him. Suddenly, everything looked scarier. The rocks jutted out as if to impale her. The kelp waved in the current, leaning towards Tohru as if to wrap themselves around her body and pull her to a watery death. Her thoughts were getting more and more dark as she gurgled out Yuki's name frantically. All of a sudden, a hand slipped into her's while another one stroked her hair, stopping the hysterical sobs ripping out of her throat. Tohru flung her arms around Yuki's waist, squeezing him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Tohru. I'm really sorry. I was just going into the city when I noticed you weren't behind me. I'm a terrible guide." Tohru tilted her head up and saw his woeful expression.

"N-no! Don't say that! It's really my fault for not paying attention. And now I'm squeezing you! Oh no..."

"Tohru, it's alright. Let's just go in." Yuki shushed her before she could babble on. He pushed aside a curtain of seaweed and revealed a large hole in the rock.

Taking Tohru's hand, they went through together. It was a dark tunnel, bending and twisting. Eventually, they turned a corner and came out of the tunnel.

"Welcome to the city of Furuba!" Yuki grinned at her amazement. Everywhere Torhu looked, there were merpeople! Hundreds of them who all had tails like her's! There were mermaids with slinky gold chains wrapped fashionably around their tails. A group of mermen were sitting in a group, laughing and talking, their eyes twinkling. Tohru observed some merchildren playing a game with small chunks of coral and a mermaid carrying a merbaby, his tiny green tail barely sticking out. After noticing the merpeople, Tohru observed her surroundings. They were in a massive hole in the rock! She could see tunnels and caves branching off from the one they were in. At the very back of this cavern, she could see a castle!

"Ah! Yuki! Is that a castle?" Tohru gasped.

"Yes. King Akito and the thirteen princes and princesses live there." Yuki explained to the excited half-mermaid.

"Wow! Actual princes and princesses! Amazing! You also have a king!" Tohru was stunned. "What are their names?"

"Um..._I don't want her to find out I'm one of them...It would be awkward..._

"Yuki?"

"Eh?"

"You've been zoning off! Usually I'm the one who does that." giggled Tohru. "Let's go check out the birth records!"

"Sure. They're in the castle though." explained Yuki.

"Can we go in?" asked Tohru worriedly.

"Of course," he smiled reassuringly at her.

* * *

At the palace 

Tohru's amazement grew as they neared the palace. _It's gigantic!_ Tohru marveled. The enormous structure was made out of some sort of white stone with fancy gold trimmings. It looked incredibly grand yet intimidating, looming over her. Two merguards, dressed in black with gold trimmings, bowed to Yuki and murmured respectfully, "Yuki-sama," while letting them through. Torhu was puzzled. _Lord Yuki? Why would they call him that? Unless...Yuki is really a lord! Oh my goodness! That's why we can come into the castle! And also-_

Yuki interrupted her train of thought.

"We're here." They had entered a large room, with rows of shelves filled with hundred of scrolls. Tohru watched a merman pick one up, unroll it, and look at it.

"What are they doing?" Tohru asked Yuki. He stared at her.

"They're reading. We don't use books. Scrolls are more convenient. The records are over there," he said, gliding to a corner of the room. Tohru hurried over to help, but since she was not completely used to her tail, she wasn't as graceful as Yuki, causing her to knock some scrolls off a shelf with a resounding **_CRASH!_**

"AHHH! Gomen-nasai! I'm so sorry! I'll clean it all up, promise!" she panicked, bending over to scoop up some of the scrolls. "Tohru? Are you hurt?" Yuki asked, helping her pick them up. "Don't worry, I'll-"

"YUKI-KUN! IS THAT YOU? I WAS SOOOO SURPRISED! IMAGINE OUR QUIET LITTLE PRINCE DESTROYING PALACE PROPERTY!" a merman shouted gleefully, swimming out from behind a bookshelf. He was incredibly handsome, with shaggy black hair almost obscuring his view. A kimono-like robe hung loosely from his muscular frame.

"Shigure..." Yuki growled. "Shut up before the urge to kill you overwhelms me. Besides, why are you here?" Shigure ignored his question when he spied Tohru frantically putting the scrolls back.

"Huh? Who's the cute mermaid? _Gasp!_ Don't tell me! PRINCE YUKI IS FINALLY NOTICING THE BEAUTY OF THE OPPOSITE SEX! OH HAPPY DAY! I'M CALLING AYA RIGH-"

"Shigure...shut up before I knock you through the roof." The merman looked up to see a very scary Yuki with a black aura surrounding him. _Gulp._

"Uh...I think I'll tell Aya later. Seeya!" Shigure swam away faster than if he was being chased by merman-eating piranhas. After all, he would rather face them than an angry Yuki.

The silver-haired merman went to help Tohru pick up the remaining scrolls. "So, you're a prince?" Tohru asked curiously. He froze, hand three inches away from a scroll. Tohru giggled.

"Don't worry. I think it's really cool! Now I understand why you didn't tell me the names. Now can you tell me?"

Yuki relaxed, then said, "There are thirteen of us, including me. Kisa and Hiro are the youngest, then there's Ritsu, Hatori, Hatsuharu, Momiji, Ayame, Izusu, Kureno, Kagura, and Shigure." Tohru was absorbing all of this information with interest, until she heard Shigure's name.

"EH?! Shigure-san is also a prince?" Yuki nodded and finally shoved the last scroll in its place. "Let's go, Tohru."

"Okay!"

Unbeknownst to them, Shigure had not actually left. Hiding behind a bookshelf (or scroll-shelf?) he was watching them interact with amazement. Cool, calm, collected Yuki Sohma laughing and talking to this simple mermaid?! What was so special about her that made her stand out from all the richer mermaid princesses who failed? Shigure grinned to himself. _Although, she is very cute._

Pulling out a large conch shell (shell phone! XD), he whispered into its creamy-white interior, "Aya? I think I've found the perfect one." His grin turned even wider when he heard Ayame's excited exclamations. "Yes. I'm positive. Operation Perfect Princess is now underway!"

* * *

A/N: **Dun dun dun dun! **What are Aya & Shigure planning? When are the rest of the Sohmas going to show up? Why am I asking myself questions that I already know the answer too? Haha. Okies. Shutting up now. 

I'm almost sorry for all the fluff at the beginning. _Almost!_

The meeting Shigure part was really funny to write. Beauty of the opposite sex! LOL.

Okay! Tune in next time to find out! I'm planning to write a LOT of new fics, so look for them!

Ja ne!

Mimi-chan

xxfirebubblesxx


	8. Convincing Tohru

Disclaimer: See Chapter 3

**Chapter 8: Convincing Tohru**

Sighing wearily, Tohru dropped Shona Hom's record. They had spent almost a hour skimming through the Ha-Hm section since most of the records were not stacked in their proper place. She had seen all types of H names, from Haaue to Hoeln, but they had trouble finding Katsuya Honda's record. Yuki was unfurling another scroll, scanning it quickly, then rolling it up again.

"This is strange. Your father's birth record isn't here."

Tohru frowned worriedly. "Where could it be?"

Yuki replied, "It's probably confidential. You need a special pass to get to where it is. I might be able to get a pass, but it'll take a few days."

Tohru blinked, surprised. "Why...?"

Yuki asked, "Why what?"

Tohru gulped, then rubbed her eyes, realizing she was crying.

"Why..?" she repeated, sniffling a bit. "Why are you being so kind to me? We just met and now you're willing to go through this much trouble for me?" she sobbed.

Yuki looked uncomfortably startled. "I'm sorry. I'm just very glad. I always thought I was different. I'm just thrilled that I found you and this-" she gestured with her left hand- "entire world under the ocean. I do want to learn more about my past, but it's too much trouble!"

Yuki came up to her, frowning slightly. "Tohru? It's not too much trouble at all. Everyone deserves to know about their past, no matter how long it takes." He glided closer now, his face inches away from her's.

"I'll help you find out who you really are, and I'll get my relatives together. With thirteen of us, I'm positive we'll find something." Tohru blushed at the merman being so close while wiping away the rest of her tears.

"Thank you..." she whispered, smiling back at him. Gazing spellbound into her teal eyes, until...

"YUUUUKI!"

The merman turned around, dreading the speaker while Tohru peeked curiously from around him. There was something swimming towards them at a amazing speed, screaming the prince's name. Tohru could only make out a white blur as the person skidded to a stop in front of them. She gasped as she stared at his face. He looks just like Yuki! Indeed, the man did look like an older version of Yuki, but he had long pure sliver-white hair with lovely golden eyes. Not to say that he was old; far from it! This Yuki-look alike was young and full of life. He had a slim tail that was an interesting yellowish color with flecks of gold that flapped energetically behind him.

"MY SWEET LITTLE SIBLING! I AM HERE TO STRENGTHEN OUR BROTHERLY BONDS!"

Yuki scowled. "Shut up! God, I swear, you scream as much as that perverted writer."

The golden-eyed merman beamed, apparently ignoring Yuki's criticism. "If you mean Gure-san, he's the one that informed me you were here with a pretty little mermaid too! AH! THERE SHE IS!" He darted to where the defenseless mermaid was.

"Ayame..." Yuki gritted his teeth. "Don't touch her."

Ayame pouted, "Geez, Yuki. No need to be so protective." He gently tilted Tohru's chin up, staring intently into her eyes.

"Hmm... NICE JOB LITTLE BROTHER! YOU MADE A GREAT CATCH! She really is cute." Aya grinned, slapping Yuki on the back. The latter blushed a ferocious scarlet. "W-what are you talking about? She's just..."

Aya waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not blind you know. I see a passionate love blooming here! This day shall be forever known as 'Yuki's Day of ROMANCE!' AH HA HA HA!"

Yuki said to the startled Tohru, "Just ignore him. He likes hearing himself talk."

Tohru giggled a bit. "Ayame-san...he's a prince too, right? And he also mentioned that you were his brother." Yuki nodded. Suddenly, there was a deep, vibrating sound, as if somebody was banging on a gong. The sound reverberated in the entire castle, then faded away. "What was that?" Tohru asked. Yuki frowned while replying, "That was the closing bell."

"Basically, it means you are trapped in the palace, little mermaid!" grinned Ayame. Snapping his fingers, he exclaimed, "I know! You can sleep with Yuki tonight!"

Yuki immediately hit Ayame on the head, blushing profusely. "Eh? You don't want her to be with you? Then I, Ayame the Magnificent, will let this little mermaid into my humble abode!" cried 'Ayame the Magnificent' swimming behind Tohru and scaring her.

"E-EH?" After smacking Ayame again, Yuki said, "You can stay at the castle tonight. There are a lot of spare rooms, so it'll be alright."

Tohru smiled gently at Yuki. "Thank you for letting me stay here tonight, if it's not any bother." While Yuki was stammering something, Aya watched the two of them interact with unveiled astonishment. Gure did say she was the perfect one, but he did have a tendency to overexaggerate things. Like I'm in any position to talk... Ayame grinned excitedly, just thinking about the plan. _If it works, Yuki will be happy, and his happiness is my happiness._

"Prince Yuki?" a female voice called out shyly. The three of them turned around to stare at a mermaid. She had long brown hair, big brown eyes, and a dark blue tail.

"Hello, Suzuki-san. How are you?" The mermaid blushed prettily as she pulled him over to help her plan an upcoming event. Tohru watched as Suzuki-san leaned closer to Yuki under the guise of pointing something out. Ayame said, "So, little mermaid. What's your name?"

Tohru replied, "Tohru Honda, Ayame-sama."

Ayame fluttered his hand dismissively. "No need to be so formal, Tohru-chan! Just call me Ayame."

"Ok, Ayame-san." Ayame beamed. "Good girl. Now I have a question. How would you like to go to the upcoming ball?"

Tohru looked shocked. "I can't! It would be such a horrible intrusion. But if Ayame-san is inviting me, it would be rude to refuse. But a ball is so grand! It's more fitted for royalty. But I am very grateful to Ayame-san for inviting me..." Aya stopped the mermaid from babbling any further. "But Tohru-chaaaaaan! We need you!"

Startled, Tohru asked, "What do you mean you need me, Ayame-san?" Aya looked over his shoulder to make sure that Yuki was still preocupied by Suzuki-san, then decided there was nothing to lose.

"Tohru-chan. This ball was organized by Akito-sama, the king of this city. As you must know, Furuba doesn't get along with a couple of other cities very well, primarily Urumai. To prevent any future wars, Akito is going to unite the two kingdoms by marriage."

Tohru blinked. "Then that means the ball is just a..."

Ayame grinned. "Exactly! It's just a cover-up for the princesses and princes of the other kingdoms to snag one of the Sohmas. After all, we are notoriously famous for our looks," preened Aya. Tohru had to agree. From what she had seen of the Sohma family so far, they were drop-dead gorgeous.

"What can I do to help?" Tohru asked. After all, she was just one mermaid. Half-mermaid, to be more exact. Ayame grinned. Operation Perfect Princess was going perfectly.

"You can save one of us from a cruel and terrible fate!" Ayame cried dramatically.

"EH?! Ayame-san, is it really going to be that bad?" Tohru asked worriedly, wringing her hands together. "Ok then. I'll do it to help the royal family." Ayame took both of her hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze. _Yosh! Step One is complete! I knew she was the sweet helpful type! Yay for me!_

"Don't worry Tohru-chan! All thirteen of us will help you on the way." Tohru grinned bravely and nodded.

"I can't wait to meet the rest of the princes and princesses! So far I met Yuki-kun, Ayame-san, and Shigure-san! I am so lucky to have met so many Sohmas!"

Ayame grinned cunningly. "But of course! You are a very lucky little mermaid. Now here's the plan..."

* * *

A/N: Chapter 8 is finished! Sorry it took so long...

Operation Perfect Princess will be revealed in the next chapter.

I'm still trying to think of a proper end for Dares, so please bear with me!

Read & Review! Onegai?

Ja ne!

Mimi-chan

xxfirebubblesxx


	9. The Lady in waiting, Amina!

Chapter 9: The Lady-in-waiting, Amina! 

Tohru blinked. She was in a comfortable bed--underwater?! Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she remembered last night.

(Begin Flashback)

It was dark. The sun had already set and Yuki and Ayame had escorted her to her room. They had apologized that they had to place her in this small room, but they couldn't risk letting the king know they had a visitor. Tohru had only gaped in astonishment. This room was bigger than the apartment she shared with Hana and Uo! It was plainer than the other rooms they had passed to get here, but she preferred it this way. There was a simple rug on the floor and a bed carved out of pink and yellow coral against the wall. Across from the bed, there was a large closet, which contained court clothes that would fit her. The last piece of furniture was a heavy-looking desk with a matching chair. Ayame had mentioned that her window overlooked the palace gardens while drawing the curtains shut. Yuki had pulled out a pretty conch shell the size of her palm. Then they had explained to her that she could communicate with them just by whispering their names into the shell phone. Then they had left her to rest, bidding her good-night. Approximately five minutes later, she was shook out of her drowsiness when she heard Ayame's voice whispering, "Tohru-chan! Tohru-chan? Is this thing on?" Tohru realized that it was her shell phone, so she slipped out of bed and picked it up.

"Hello?"she whispered uncertainly. Ayame boomed right back at her.

"Hello Tohru-chan! Here's the plan!"

"Um...plan?"

"The one I told you about in the library, dear Tohru-chan! Don't tell me you forgot already!"

"Ah! Operation Perfect Princess, right? But how can I be the perfect princess to c-capture Yuki-kun's heart?" By now she is blushing at the word choice Ayame had used.

In his lavish chamber, Ayame grinned happily, then said, "Easy! I set it all up already! Five other Sohmas will be helping you win Yuki's heart!??He paused to listen to her shriek of surprise with satisfaction. After she regained the power of speech again, she choked out, "H-how, Ayame-san?"

"Since you have no idea how to act like one, they will teach you how to dance, dine, and behave like a true princess! The schedule will be sent to your room along with your breakfast tomorrow. Toodles!"

And then he hung up.

Tohru had sat there, shocked for a few moments, then slowly put the shell phone down and glided back to bed. After twisting and turning for another hour, she finally fell asleep.

(End Flashback)

And here she was now. She threw back the covers and swam to the window. Pulling the curtains aside, she gasped in awe at the majestic sight. The palace garden was a beautifully lush place. From her vantage point she could see the entire three-mile cultivated area. There was a long, snaking path that wound all over and there were a lot of benches to rest on. Many different types of coral, kelp, and sea flowers grew there. Tohru was so busy admiring the beautiful garden that she failed to notice that somebody had come into her room until she heard a soft "ahem" behind her. Spinning around, she noticed a mermaid that looked a little younger than her, with curly black locks and dark skin. Her tail was an exquisite scarlet, and she was wearing a black vest with white buttons and a little poufy hat. She was holding a tray full of food and staring at Tohru with a curious expression.

"Ah! Good morning," exclaimed Tohru, bowing slightly.

The mermaid agitatedly said, "No, miss. You aren't supposed to bow to me. It's the other way around!" She had a beautiful voice that had a melodious accent.

"Ah! Sorry! I'm Tohru. What's your name?"

The curly-haired mermaid was confused. Who was this mergirl and why did she apologize to her, the maid? What if it was just a test to see how well she treated royalty? She decided to answer her question.

"Amina, Tohru-sama. I'll be your personal escort. Your breakfast is prepared." Amina showed her the tray that she had brought in.

"You don't have to call me Tohru-sama. Just Tohru."

Lifting the cover off, Tohru gasped at the enormous quantity of food the kitchen had made.

"This is a lot. Amina-san. Would you help me finish it?"

Seeing Amina's surprised expression, she hastened to explain. "It is too much for one person, and you look hungry. And I would love to have company."

The mermaid hesitated, then shyly lowered herself next to Tohru. Then she withdrew a tightly wrapped scroll out of her vest pocket and handed it to Tohru, saying that Ayame-sama wanted her to deliver it to Tohru. She thanked Amina and picked up a pair of chopsticks carved from yellow coral. Staring at the strange-looking food, she didn't know what to eat first. There was a big bowl of squishy purple jelly, three different kinds of kelp salad, and various fruit-like berries. Amina, however, had already started eating the salad, using her own chopsticks that she produced from her pocket. Feeling queasy, Tohru sharply reminded herself that kind merpeople had worked very hard to prepare her food and she should enjoy it. She picked a green berry the size of a apricot, and nibbled on it. A sour sensation overwhelmed her tastebuds, and then it turned sugary. After a few more bites, the berry stopped being bitter and became sweet entirely. While they were eating, Amina told Tohru about her job.

"My ancestors came from a far away ocean, thousands of miles away from Furuba City. My great-grandma, grandma, and mama have all served the Sohmas for many generations. I have been helping my mama do cleaning since I was six, but I'm old enough now to be an escort. My training ended on the last turning of the moon, so Ayame-sama wanted me to escort you." By that time, Tohru had finished her third berry and was sampling the purple jello. It tasted...fishy. She had a strong urge to spit it out, but instead she swallowed it and ate some kelp salad to get rid of the taste. Unlike Tohru, Amina had no problem with the fish jello; she devoured it with gusto.

After they finished sharing Tohru's breakfast, Amina bustled to the closet, saying that Tohru's top was not suitable in the palace. While Amina was busy ruffling through the various garments, Tohru unrolled Ayame's scroll. His handwriting was full of elaborate loops and cursive.

_Dear Tohru-chan,_

_Good morning! What a beautiful day for _

_Operation Perfect Princess! If you're reading_

_this, it probably means that Amina already _

_gave it to you. Such a nice mermaid..._

_Anyway, your five teachers will be_

_busy having their own lessons, _

_but after lunch, they will be free. _

_All your lessons will be under one hour,_

_and you'll receive a five minute break between each one._

_After lunch, Kagura will be teaching you _

_How to Behave (Like A Princess). _

_Hatsuharu and Isuzu will be teaching you_

_Dancing and Resisting._

_Momiji will be teaching you _

_Dining Etiquette._

_And_

_Kyon-kyon will be teaching you_

_Royal Ties._

_Feel free to explore the _

_Royal Garden,_

_Or the_

_Royal Library._

_Ta ta!_

_His Royal Highness the Sixth,_

_Ayame Sohma_

Tohru reread the scroll, trying to figure out what resisting or Royal Ties were. They didn't sound all that fun. Finally she noticed Amina holding a dress.

"Tohru-san, put this one on!" Tohru stood up, and Amina helped her out of her blue swimsuit top and into the dress.

It was a wonderful dress, with a simple green floral print. It clung to her chest and waist, emphasizing them, then flowed freely around her tail. Amina then wound thin gold chains around Tohru's tail, then a matching bracelet and necklace. For the finishing touch, she teased Tohru's hair up into a ponytail, then tied it back with a shiny gold ribbon. Tohru really felt like a princess right then and there. Draping a matching green shawl around Tohru's slender shoulders, Amina asked her if she would like to visit the garden. Tohru joyfully agreed, and Amina confidently led the way. Tohru was glad Amina was there to escort her; without her, Tohru felt like she might've gotten lost in the endless twists and turns of the hallways. Finally, they reached the garden. Tohru breathed in the fresh air-er??water with happiness. Meandering through the many different beautiful seaflowers was very relaxing. Suddenly, Amina pulled her off the main road and onto a smaller trail. Gesturing for her to follow, Amina rounded a corner and disappeared. Tohru followed her, flapping her tail awkwardly. When she rounded the corner, she almost bumped into Amina. She slapped a hand over Tohru's open mouth and ducked behind a clump of seaweed. Amina pointed with her free hand at a merman who was gardening the little patch of land, filling it with blooming flowers and many berries, including the green ones they had for breakfast. Amina whispered, "Yuki-sama comes here to garden. Go talk to him!" Then she nudged her. Tohru swam out behind Yuki and waited for him to notice her. As if he sensed her presence, Yuki turned around and stared at her briefly.

"Good morning, Tohru. You look amazing. Did you sleep well?"

She blushed, and her heart pounded fast when she heard Yuki complement her. _What is this funny feeling?_ Tohru was so flustered that she didn't answer Yuki's question until he bent down and waved his hand in front of her eyes. "Earth to Tohru."

The half-mermaid snapped out of it and blushed even darker than before. "Huh? Oh, yes! I slept great."

Yuki laughed. She looks so cute like that...wait--WHAT?

When he stopped laughing and looked confused, Tohru started to worry. "Um, Yuki-kun? What is this place?"

"This? This is my own little garden patch. Call it a secret base, if you will."

Tohru got excited. "Ooh, a secret base? The neighborhood boys would have one, but they never let girls go inside..."

While Yuki and Tohru were talking, Amina pulled a shell phone out of her vest pocket and called Ayame.

"Hello? Ayame-sama, this is Amina."

"Mina-chan! How are they?"

"Great! They'?�re chatting up a storm."

Ayame giggled, "Wonderful! I smell a beautiful flower blossoming. And its name is LOVE! Keep an eye on them a call frequently. Byeee, Mina-chan!"

"Good-bye, Ayame-sama."

After she hung up, she spied Tohru admiring Yuki's plants.

"Wow! These are really pretty flowers!"

"I only have small ones. If you want to, I can show you blossoms the size of a merperson."

Tohru, forgetting Amina, squeaked, "Really? Let's go!"

So Yuki and Tohru swam off, Amina tailing them and pouting slightly over being forgotten.

* * *

A/N: Whee! Chapter 9 is here! Tohru's lady-in-waiting, Amina (Mina-chan to Ayame), is in cahoots with "His Royal Highness the Sixth, Ayame Sohma." The plot thickens...

In the next few chapters, Tohru will meet the other Sohmas. (Imagining Tohru meeting Kyo...)

Tohru: "Hello, Kyon-kyon-san."

Kyo: "WHAT?! Who told you my name was Kyon-kyon?"

Tohru: -getting nervous- "A-ayame-san, Kyon-kyon-san..."

Kyo: "...AYAME!"

-giggles- I can't wait...

Extra fun fact! "Amina" means truthful/trustworthy in Arabic and Swahili, and later in the story, that's exactly what she will be... (Ooh, it's a HINT!)

Please R&R!

Ja ne!

mimi-chan

xxfirebubblesxx


	10. The King's Thirteen

Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides the twisted ideas in my head and shazzleshales. **O.o**

**Chapter 10: The King's Thirteen**

"Uwaa! They're so pretty!" gasped Tohru excitedly.

Yuki and Amina sweatdropped. _Pretty is not an adjective used to describe a shazzleshale unless there's an ugly following it, _thought Amina. Only Tohru could appreciate the so-called beauty of shazzleshales. They were large, bulbous excuses of sea flowers: a odd hue of grayish-blue with slimy leaves. The only good thing to say about them was their plump petals made great pillows--until they started to rot.

Tohru swam around one of the huge flowers eagerly, twisting and turning to admire it from every angle. Suddenly she stopped and looked up with a thoughtful expression on her face. Flicking her tail eagerly, she struggled up to the very top of the flower, then perched comfortably on the spongy center.

Amina's first thought was to tell Tohru to get off before she got hurt, but then squashed that notion when Yuki laughed at her antics.

"How's the view up there?" teased Yuki.

Tohru beamed. "It's amazing! I can see for miles! Oh, hi Amina-san! What are you doing hiding behind the bushes?"

_**Typical naïve Tohru...doesn't even knows she's being spied upon...**_

_Shark fins! I got caught!_ Amina wailed internally, then straightened up.

"Um...hello Tohru-san, Yuki-sama."

Yuki arched an eyebrow. "What were you doing spying on us?"

As poor Amina trembled under his icy stare, Tohru quickly interfered.

"Yuki, Amina-san is my lady-in-waiting!"

Amina noticed Yuki's stare mellowed after that and she marveled at the control Tohru had over him. Her fingers itched to grab her shell phone right now and report to Aya right now.

"Yuki, Amina-san, come up! I see an adorable little girl and I was wondering if you knew her."

Yuki swam up to Tohru and stared at the direction she was pointing. A few meters away, there was a young mergirl hunched over a scroll, reading under the shade of a large chunk of coral. Even from this far away, Yuki could tell who it was by the unique coloring of her hair.

"That's Her Royal Highness the Third, Kisa Sohma."

Tohru gasped at this. "EHH?! That little girl is a princess?"

When Yuki and Amina nodded, she asked another question that had been bugging her for a while. "Kisa-chan is the Third and Ayame-san is the Sixth, right? What do those numbers mean?"

Yuki sighed and rubbed his forehead. In a low tone, he explained, "It's the order for the throne, so that means Kisa is third in line and Ayame sixth. It's based on your nobility, status, and rank. There's something called 'The King's Thirteen.' To us, thirteen is a lucky number, and there are only 13 of us worth mentioning when somebody asks whose next in line for the crown."

Tohru's eyes widened. "B-but, she's so young!"

Yuki sighed again. "Um. Akito is sickly, so 'The King's Thirteen' list may be started soon."

"Who's the first person on the list?"

"Me. I suppose I haven't really properly introduced myself. I am His Royal Highness the First, Yuki Sohma." Yuki made a disgusted face after he said his complete title.  
"Sorry. Akito forces us to introduce the other Sohmas and ourselves that way."

While Tohru was shocked speechless, Yuki said, "Do you want to meet Kisa? I'm sure she'll like you."

Tohru finally processed what Yuki said and exclaimed, "Yuki, that's fantastic! You'll be a great ruler! But not that I want Akito-sama to die, just the opposite! Even though I've never met him, but still...you would be if you needed to one day. And of course the day will come, because everybody goes someday, right? I mean...oh." Tohru blushed madly as she realized that-once again- she had been babbling randomly in front of Yuki. "Um...sure! I'd love to meet Kisa-chan."

"Great! Let's go." Yuki gracefully dived off the now-drooping shazzleshale and disappeared from view. Tohru giggled and prepared to jumped off, but got her tail tangled in a stray vine and tumbled down awkwardly.

"Eep!" She landed in the outstretched arms of...

"Amina-chan! Sorry!" She slithered out of the grasp of her bewildered lady-in-waiting and apologized.

_**Ha ha! Bet you all thought it was Yuki, eh? Nope. I'm evil.**_

Amina just laughed and arranged Tohru's shawl tighter around her shoulders. "Hurry up now. Yuki-sama is waiting." Tohru blushed and nodded happily. Amina watched as she caught up with Yuki and they both swam in the direction Kisa was.

Amina giggled happily at the cute couple they made, then drew her shell phone out of her voluminous pockets.

"Hello Ayame-sama..."

* * *

Kisa sighed happily. Currently, she was sitting on the grass, her light pink and slightly gold tail folded neatly under her. Since it was one of those rare days where she wasn't busy, she was wearing a comfortable plain white vest instead of her usual heavy, itchy dresses. Sitting on the grass and hunched over a scroll of poetry, it was a wonder nobody mistakened her for a servant's daughter. A cool current of water ruffled her hair and streaked across her face, making her giggle happily. Suddenly, a particular line of poetry from "The Forsaken Merman" caught her eye. Softly murmuring, she repeated it. 

_Come, dear children, let us away;  
Down and away below.  
Now my brothers call from the bay;  
Now the great winds shoreward blow;  
Now the salt tides seaward flow;  
Now the wild white horses play,  
Champ and chafe and toss in the spray.  
Children dear, let us away.  
This way, this way!_

Somebody whispered, "That sounds beautiful, Kisa-chan."

Startled, she turned looked up and saw her cousin Yuki and a pretty-looking mermaid.

"Yuki-san, hello!" whispered the shyest princess.

Smiling kindly at Kisa, Yuki introduced Tohru, explaining she was here on some business.

"Kisa-chan, what I'm about to tell you is very secret. Nobody besides me knows."

Kisa nodded, eyes wide. "You can tell me."

Yuki whispered, "Tohru is a half-fin."

Tohru didn't know what a half-fin was, but judging by the shocked little sound Kisa made, it probably was very surprising.

"Really?" choked out the startled mermaid. "Wow! I've read about them, but I've never seen one before."

"Yuki, what is a half-fin?" asked a confused Tohru.

"Kisa-chan, give her a definition."

The little mergirl straightened and said "The child of a merperson and a human. They are highly uncommon and tend to have a mixture of human and mer-genes. They became outcasts when King Ino banned them from society."

After finishing her lengthy description, Kisa and Yuki glanced at Tohru uncertainly.

"This is why we have to make sure your secret is safe. If Akito finds out..." Yuki trailed off.

Tohru nodded, "Of course. I understand. I'll have to go tomorrow anyway. Uo might be back already."After she said that, she felt a funny little twinge of pain in her heart. _Why do I feel this way? _wondered Tohru._ I miss Uo and Hana a lot, but I'll miss Ayame-san, Amina-chan, Shigure-san, Kisa-chan, and especially Yuki. Wha...why especially?!_

While Tohru was silently having her inner conflict, Yuki looked at Kisa again. "This is really urgent. Can you get us a pass to where the records are kept?"

Kisa frowned. "Strange. The birth records are usually public, unless there's been something that they want to hush up. I'll try, but it might take a couple of days."

Yuki and Tohru shared a triumphant smile while behind the bushes, Amina stared in shock. _Tohru-san is a half-fin?!_ With shaking fingers, she whispered Ayame's name into her shell phone.

"Mina-chan? Well, there certainly is a lot of news to report, isn't there?"

Gulping, Amina whispered, "Half-fin. She's a half-fin."

Then she witnessed a phenomenon. Ayame was shocked speechless for a minute, then he whispered, "A-are you sure?"

"Positive, Ayame-sama."

"...well. I knew there was something special about her. How WONDERFUL!"

_**Energetic Aya is back in the building...**_

"What should we do?" asked Amina.

"Nothing for now. Operation Perfect Princess is still on. So we've hit a little blip in the road. That's nothing compared to the importance of my little brother's happiness."

"Ayame-san, a LITTLE BLIP? She's-"

"Yuki could love a sea cucumber for all I care! All that matters is...he's in love. (Although I'm glad Tohru-chan isn't as ugly as a sea cucumber. That would certainly put a damper on things) So far, only Kisa, Yuki, you, and I know. That's fine. If Akito hears that Tohru is here and knows that little tidbit of information, that would be a problem. Anyway, just continue tailing them. Be careful, Mina-chan! Toodles!" With that note, Aya hung up.

Amina chewed her lip nervously as she plunked her phone back into her pockets. She would have to be extra careful not to let anybody else find out. _Ayame-sama is depending on me! I can't let him down now!_

**_Unfortunately, me, Mimi-chan, has decided to spice this story up! Sorry, Mina-chan!_**

* * *

Approximately four feet above them all, a strange fish was lurking. It was a very intelligent species, bred to eavesdrop and tattle on anything interesting happening inside the palace walls. In it's little fishy brain, it recorded everything that they just talked about. Then, it swam away, back to the palace, through a window, and whispered about the secret going-ons occurring to its master, King Akito..."

* * *

"I cannot believe this! A filthy half-fin in **MY** city?! Something has to be done!" roared Akito furiously. He paced the grand throne room agitatedly, ignoring the satin cushions scattered on the marble floor or the priceless works of art. Finally, he collapsed with a frustrated growl on the throne, crown askew and a grimace contorting his otherwise lovely face, if it we not marred by hate and pain. 

"Kureno, what should I do?"

The auburn-haired merman regarded the angry king and assumed this was where he should answer him.

"I do not know, Akito," he answered softly as he straightened his crown and smoothed the silky black locks.

He sighed and leaned back on the hard throne, trying to find a better position on the inflexible chair. Sinewy arms danged limply from the armrests and his sleek ebony tail flicked lifelessly. Sighing wearily, he said softly, "I cannot believe this. What would my father do?"

"Akira-sama would have pity and let them love," answered Kureno even softer.

Instead of blowing up like Kureno predicted, Akito sighed deeper and closed his eyes.

"It is difficult. After he died in the Great Plague, that woman has never really forgiven me, has she?"

"Ren-sama is just upset. She didn't mean those things she said. She loved Akira-sama as much as you do."

Akito growled. "Why does this keep coming back to love? I knew the fool Ayame would betray me. I predicted that useless servant would too. Kisa always was addlebrained, reading and muttering to herself and acting mute!" Each thought spoken out loud brought greater agitation into Akito's voice.

"Yuki...my little pet...**IT'S ALL HIS** **FAULT!**" screamed Akito. Kureno tried to restrain him, but his eyes snapped open and he jumped up, pacing the room again, cerulean-blue cloak billowing behind him.

"Love...what a disgusting concept. He's always trying to anger me, when I've sheltered him, fed him, made him the first of the King's Thirteen...and now this. He falls for a freak of nature, a HALF-FIN, for Neptune's sake!"

Suddenly, he stopped. Eyebrows furrowed for a minute, then broke into a sinister smile.

"Akito, what are you thinking of?"

"Love...Yuki doesn't know what it is..."

"Beg pardon?"

"He never knew what real love is. What he has for that pathetic half-fin is a mere crush."

Akito was once again pacing, thinking hard. "We'll give Yuki false hope...let him continue flirting with that filth, then at the upcoming ball we'll make sure she is...occupied. Yuki will be convinced that she doesn't return his feelings, then we'll set him up with Machi." Here he gave a short sharp laugh.

"Machi...what a pathetic excuse for a princess when she is clearly a useless child. Remember the scandal, Kureno? Her father caught with a mistress! How disgraceful. She's bland as uncooked koi fish and twice as dull."

Kureno knew Akito wanted to ease the tension between Furuba and Machi's city, Urumai, but even though he hated half-fins that much, he would not be so extreme as to allow Machi to marry Yuki, unless...

"You're planning something, aren't you, Akito?"

Smiling cruelly, he replied, "Of course.

"May I ask what it is?"

"We'll wait. They'll 'fall in love' with each other and soon have a splendid wedding...gowns and parties and celebrations of the like. Then, a few years into their marriage, they will have an adorable little child. However, somebody will _accidentally_ tell Machi's mother that Yuki loved a half-fin before. She won't be able to stand the humiliation, and call the marriage off."

Kureno blinked. _But won't that cause even more tension than now? Unless..._

"Machi's mother can't do anything besides breaking them up because of the child."

"Exactly. We'll have Yuki back, single, and as wanted as anything. If we need to, we'll marry him off and repeat the process," shrugged Akito.

Kureno's eyes narrowed slightly. "What about Yuki's feelings?"

Akito answered nonchalantly, "What about them? If he really 'loves' Machi, then it will be even more fun to see the heart-broken expression on his face. Now go. You're dismissed."

As Kureno headed towards the door, his gold-flecked auburn tail propelling him smoothly, Akito said, "Wait!"

Kureno paused and looked over his shoulder.

"Make sure Kisa can't get a pass to the confidential records. Speak of this to no one."

And he left.

For the first time he could remember, Kureno was questioning his loyalty to Akito. _Why should Yuki be unhappy?_

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Yay!! Chapter 10 is here after 2 months! Sorry to all my readers. School is really busy. Thanks to all the lovely reviews I recieved, prompting me to update! So here is this big fat 2448 word chapter for you guys to enjoy, review, read, review, review, review! **_MAJOR HINT_**

Random blab: I learned how to do single space! Ctrl+Enter! Yay me!

New twists in the plot are revealed! Tohru is a half-fin, Akito's plan is known, and Kureno is in doubt over Akito's plans! In the next chappie, Tohru will meet Kagura!

Ja ne, snarklings!

Mimi-chan  
xxfirebubblesxx


	11. Secrets Seals Hide

Disclaimer: Pfft. I wish.

**Chapter 11: Secrets Seals Hide**

Nibbling at her bottom lip nervously, Tohru dithered in front of her bedroom door while Amina worked quickly, fluffing a bit here and arranging a bit there, until she looked perfect.

"Amina-san, I'm really nervous. What if Kagura-sama doesn't like me?" questioned Tohru, wringing her hands worriedly.

"Don't worry, Tohru-san! Kagura-sama is quite kind. Most Sohmas are," assured the mermaid, curling a lock of hair _just_ so. Beaming, she whispered, "Back straight," before pushing open the heavy door.

"H-hello, Kagura-sama!"stuttered Tohru, bowing deeply. She heard a surprised tinkling laugh, light and airy.

"Ah, no need for such formalities, Tohru-chan!" Tohru looked up, surprised. Instead of the elegant middle-aged woman she'd been expecting, Kagura was actually a cute girl around her age, with dark hair and dreamy gray eyes. Wearing a simple green top with white sleeves, she could have been mistaken for an ordinary Japanese girl, if it weren't for her green tail with streaks of pearl white.

"Eh?! You're Kagura-sama?!" shrieked Tohru, utterly amazed.

"Ano, you don't need to call me Kagura-sama, Tohru-chan! If, by the slimmest of chances, that Aya's plan succeeds, we're going to be related!"

"EHH?! R-RELATED?!" shrieked Tohru, even louder.

Kagura stared. "You're here, right?" After Tohru nodded, she continued, "And I'm here to teach _you_ how to be a princess, right?" After seeing Tohru nod again, she continued, "And you're going to show off those skills at the upcoming ball, right?" Tohru nodded, slightly more hesitant. Kagura beamed. "Then you're going to win Yuki's heart and soul, marry him, and ruin Akito's plans! Yay!" Tohru was still standing there, blinking and trying to process the information thrown at her. After a few seconds of Amina and Kagura starting to worry that she blew a brain cell, it clicked and, once again, she screamed, "EEEEH?!?! M-MARRY Y-YUKI-KUN?!"

Kagura giggled at her disheveled appearance, immediately taking a liking to this girl, even if she was a bit slow. Appearently, Tohru had never thought about what Ayame meant when he said "capture Yuki's heart." Deciding to stop teasing poor Tohru, Kagura immediately launched into her lesson.

"All right, Tohru-chan! This is our battle plan!" said Kagura, pulling out an array of unfamiliar items. "These tools are used to teach the importance of poise. Now, when you enter a room, all eyes are going to be on you, so you have to be elegant, graceful and dignified," explained Kagura as she picked up some rectangular foam blocks. "See these? These will help you balance. Now, stand up straight."

Tohru snapped to attention and Kagura placed two foam blocks on her head, then picked up a long pointer.

"Okay, Tohru-chan! I want you to swim around the room once and if the blocks fall, you'll have to start over."

Tohru was perfectly still, scared of even breathing, fearing the blocks would fall.

"Tohru-chan? Let's start."

Stiffly, she started to inch across the room, while Kagura occasionally tapped her lightly with the pointer. If Tohru stumbled, Amina and Kagura would yell advice at her, followed by a tap.

"Keep your back straight!"

"Don't swing your arms!"

"Keep on smiling!"

"Flick your tail with more spirit!"

"Keep your chin up!"

Pretty soon, the information overload confused her so much, she somehow tripped and landed in an ungraceful heap on the floor.

"Tohru-san, are you all right?" asked Amina as she helped her up.

"Huh? Yeah! Never been better!" she exclaimed, jumping up. _Oh no! I probably look like a big idiot! _

Kagura smiled kindly and said, "Try again okay? We want you to be able to balance at least three blocks!" After saying that, she picked up six and stacked them neatly on her head, then effortlessly swam around the room two times.

Gaping, Tohru exclaimed, "Uwah! That's amazing Kagura-san!"

Amina said, "All the princes and princesses have perfect poise. They've been training since they were around twenty."

"Hm...wait. WHAT?!" shrieked Tohru. "D-did you say t-twenty?!"

The two mermaids stared at her, confusion evident on their faces. Kagura said, "Well, yeah. That's usually the age we begin to really start swimming."

Amina realized that Tohru, being the half-fin she was, was probably used to the humans??quick ways of aging. Amina blurted out, "Ah...um...Tohru-san! Can we talk privately for a second?"

Still dazed, Tohru nodded, so Amina herded her to a corner while apologizing to Kagura. During these past two days of being Tohru's lady-in-waiting, she had been ruder to the Sohmas than she had her whole life!

"Tohru-san, mermaids age way slower than humans! Twenty years old here is equivalent to around... "Amina's face scrunched up in concentration. "four or five years old? Shark fins, you humans die really fast."

She brightened in understanding. "Really? Then Amina-san, you're..."

"Eighty-three. Now come on!"

Amina tugged a shell-shocked Tohru back to a slightly impatient Kagura.

_E-eighty-three?! Higiwaki-san in my neighborhood is eighty-one, b-but she looks nothing like Amina-san! _Tohru snuck a glance at the curly-haired mermaid, who had bright black eyes and radiant skin. _Eighty-three...wow. If anything, she looks younger than I do! I thought she was only seventeen! _

_**A/N: Remember, in this AU fic, Tohru's 20!**_

Tohru was snapped out of her daydreams when the hated blocks were--once again--placed on her head. While she was slowly struggling across the room, Kagura gave Amina the pointer...and the task of treating Tohru like a piñata. Kagura kept up a steady stream of chatter. "Now Tohru-chan, we want you to make a good impression on Akito-sama! I heard he was quite set on having Yuki marry someone else." Tohru had gone on for five seconds without Amina tapping her (a personal record), but when she heard that, she dropped all her blocks. "What? Who?"

Kagura smiled, overjoyed that Tohru was curious about the plans for Yuki's arranged marriage. "Well, like Ayame said, our city Furuba had a disagreement with a few other cities, particularly Urumai, around a century ago. Our memories and grudges are long and hard, so Akito realized that it would be wise to unite the cities by marriage! He has researched the King's Thirteen for the other cites, and invited the most important ones to the upcoming ball. It's his idea of matchmaking, and he's planning to force Yuki to marry Her Royal Highness the First of Urumai, Machi Kuragi." Kagura sighed and twirled around so quickly that her thick dark locks smacked her face. "Luckily, Akito's not planning to marry me off anytime soon, since I'm the second-to-last of the King's Thirteen."

Tohru gasped visibly upset. "Oh, Kagura-san!"

Kagura giggled, "Don't worry! I don't wanna get married anytime soon!" Then, her face darkened. "However, I'm afraid some random hussy will snap up my poor Kyo-kun."

Timidly, Tohru asked, "Kyo-kun?"

Amina piped up, "Kyo-sama is the last one of the King's Thirteen, but he's quite well-liked by the duchesses and countesses."

Kagura growled, "If any one of them dares to even look at my darling, I'll--!" here she pantomimed wringing somebody's neck. Fortunately, she had already given the pointer to Amina, or else it would have been crushed into splinters.

Tohru cowered back slightly, surprised at this violent side of the seemingly calm girl. After a few minutes, Kagura reverted back to her sweet side and asked Tohru to try again. Tohru sighed, and placed the blocks on her head again, and Amina added another one. As she started around her room _again_, Kagura started a fascinating conversation about princesses.

"Tohru-chan, what do you think a princess is?"

Biting her lip out of concentration and thoughtfulness, Tohru slowly said, "A princess is...someone who is very...amazing?"

Kagura pursed her lips together and said, "Bzzt! Wrong answer! A princess is someone who is merciful and absolute. Someone who rules. And someone who protects."

Tohru nodded slightly, painfully aware of the teetering pile on her head. "...Wow. Kagura-san, that makes me scared. What if I don?�t do well? Just thinking about all the power is overwhelming!"

Kagura smiled and reassured her. "Don't worry, Tohru-chan! I know that you have the potential to be a true princess."

Blushing and stammering how it wasn't true, Tohru managed to bump into her desk, drop all her blocks, and knock down Amina in her wild tumble.

"Oww...Amina-san, are you all right?!"

Amina straightened herself up, wincing slightly when she probed the bump on her head. "I think so. Tohru-san, Kagura-sama has to go. Her tutor will be wondering where she is."

Kagura gasped, "Ah! You're right! Shona-sensei will be really suspicious and we have to keep this secret, ne? Good-bye Tohru-chan, Amina-san!"

While Tohru waved to Kagura's quickly retreating figure, Amina gathered up all the blocks, pointer, and other items, and shoved them into one of the drawers. Turning to Tohru with a cheery smile, she said, "Is Tohru-san hungry? You've been working really hard, after all."

As she was opening her mouth to protest that she wasn't hungry and it would be too much trouble, her stomach let out a terribly unladylike grumble.

"Aah!" Wrapping her arms around her middle, she glared (or as close as Tohru can get to glaring) at it. _Traitor._

Amina giggled. "I?�ll take that as a yes." Pulling out her own shell phone, she whispered 'Kitchen' "and ordered a snack of flutterbye fritters.

Curious, Tohru said, "Amina-san, I thought you had to say a person's name to talk to them, but you just said 'Kitchen.' "

"Oh! This is the standard castle-regulated shell phone,"she explained, handing it over to Tohru. Upon closer examination, she discovered that this one was a little bit smaller than her own, and had an official-looking wax seal stamped on it. Seeing Tohru finger it, Amina explained, "This is the Sohma family' crest. Isn't it pretty?"

Tohru looked. It was a circle within a circle; the outside was evenly divided into 13 parts, and there was a different symbol inside each section. There was also an intricate symbol in the smaller circle. Amina said, "Each symbol stands for one of the King's Thirteen, and that thing in the center stands for the king."

Tohru breathed, "...Wow." Then she frowned, peering at the small seal. "Amina-san, look! The two circles don't fit perfectly inside one another!" Indeed, there was a small gap between them. Squinting even more painfully now, Tohru asked, "What are those things connecting the outside circle to the king? They look like...chains?"Suddenly, she could examine the seal no longer, for Amina had snatched the shell phone away.

Barely concealing her unhappiness, Amina choked out, "Sorry Tohru-_sama_, but I have to go pick up your flutterbye fritters. I'll be right back." And on that curt note, she slipped out quickly, leaving Tohru with a sad empty feeling in her stomach, and this time, it wasn't from hunger.

_Felix Adler once said of family that it is a school of duties, founded in love. Poor Tohru has not yet realized that for the Sohmas, it is a school of love... founded in blood._

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**_A/N: woot! Done with this chapter! I haven't updated in a long time, right? urg. xP sorry! The last sentence is totally ripped off from the summary of_ Adi88's _story, _Founded in Blood_, one of the greatest stories on check it out if you have time! You can find it under my favorite stories section or search for it using the cool new search engine box! _**

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_**okay. I lied. One more! please read my friend (in real life & one step's fics! she's new and doesn't have many reviews, so go check her fics out! You can find her under my favorite authors section (since the lame search engine box won't show her name... :P) **_

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_**I need a new summary for this fic! The current one is so lame I can't believe all my awesome readers/reviews clicked on it... please leave any suggestions you have via review!**_

_**It's official! I have been a member of for more than a year now! I want to thank all of you who made my first year of a fanfiction-writer so much more fantabulous! -huggles-**_

**_okay! please drop a review before you leave!_**

**_ja ne!_**

**_mimi-chan  
xxfirebubblesxx_**


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